TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (Shana) – Iran is likely to launch the utility facility of phase 14 of the supergiant South Pars Gas Field early next calendar year beginning on March 21 2018.

Operator of the project Hamid Reza Masoudi said all the 6 steam boilers of the unit are in their pre-startup phase of operation and the nitrogen and air compressors are fully installed and in their pre-commissioning stage.

He said the unit will come online in the first quarter of the next calendar year.

Masoudi added that production of rich sour gas from platform A of the phase will begin this winter.

The gas will be transferred to the phase 12 refinery for processing, he added.

He said the platform is currently under construction and is 93% complete and will be installed and operational immediately after it is complete.

Pipe-laying operation of the phase's last marine pipeline stretching 109 kilometers began in July and will sum up in October.

This will end marine pipe-laying operation of the phase that stretched 227 kilometers to onshore refining facilities.